King's Cross tops the Tube's list of shame as worst station for crime

King's Cross tops the Tube's list of shame as worst station for crime

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underground

A new list released by British Transport Police shows that crime is falling across the transport network

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

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Tube Damage Graph

Tube crime figures from August 2010 to July 2011. The total figure for all crimes at listed underground stations is 5563

A new list released by British Transport Police shows that crime is falling across the transport network

King's Cross was today named as London's worst Tube station for crime, with almost 200 offences committed there last year.

In a list released by British Transport Police, King's Cross, Victoria and Stratford had the highest number of reported offences among stations in Zones 1-3.

But crime is falling across the transport network, which the force says is due to a "highly visible policing style".

There were 194 offences reported at King's Cross, 186 at Victoria, 165 at Stratford and 147 at Oxford Circus. Piccadilly Circus, Baker Street, Leicester Square and Old Street all also had more than 100 reported crimes each.

Passengers groups say the figures reflect the fact that these stations are the busiest in London. Old Street's inclusion was a surprise, however 84 of the offences there involved drugs.

The 194 offences at King's Cross included 33 incidents of violence against a person, six sexual offences, three cases of criminal or malicious damage, 95 reported thefts of passenger or rail commercial property, 13 serious fraud cases, seven drug offences and two other serious offences.

Victoria was the most dangerous station as 48 of the offences there involved violence. It was closely followed by Leicester Square with 46 and Stratford with 42.

At Seven Sisters there were three reported robberies.

Victoria also had the most reported cases of pickpockting with 80 followed by Oxford Circus with 72 and Piccadilly Circus with 59 - all are heavily used by tourists.

Jo deBank from London TravelWatch said: "Personal security is hugely important to passengers and making sure stations are safe is vital.

"We have called for better standards at London's stations, and Old Street is one of those in need of significant improvement."

Some stations in Zones 1 and 2 saw almost no on-station crime at all.

Cannon Street and Aldgate were among those which only had two crimes reported last year while at 15 stations, mostly towards outer London, only one was reported all year.

London's transport is safer than its equivalents in almost all other European cities. The volume of crime taking place in Tube stations is steadily dropping, but the amount happening on trains and buses has fallen sharply. Crime on the Tube fell by 20 per cent over the last three years, and on buses by 30 per cent.

The number of robberies taking place on public transport fell by nearly 50 per cent.

British Transport Police said: "The reduction is due to the highly visible policing style that BTP operates on the Tube and the use of intelligence and crime-pattern analysis to ensure officers are deployed to the stations and locations where they are needed most."

Transport for London said: "The Tube is a low-crime environment, with crime rates continuing to fall. This reflects both our close working with the BTP and our successful use of the deterrent of CCTV and other community safety initiatives.

"But there is always more that can be done which is why significant resources are devoted to catching and prosecuting criminals, and CCTV cameras across the network are being increased from 12,000 to more than 14,000."